Living up to Pixar’s masterful The Incredibles is a tough task, considering that it’s the storied animation studio’s best movie. Still, 14 years later, the superhero sequel makes a Herculean effort, putting the spotlight on a mother taking charge of her life and one seriously sleep-deprived dad.

Harnessing the same heart and humor that marked 2004's original Incredibles, writer/director Brad Bird’s Incredibles 2 (★★★ out of four; rated PG; in theaters nationwide Friday) brings back the whole do-gooding family — including Bob “Mr. Incredible” Parr (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), wife Helen/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), teen daughter Violet (Sarah Vowell) and speedster son Dash (Huck Milner) — for an adventure that’s bigger and bolder, but not necessarily better, than its first outing.

With cooing baby Jack-Jack in tow, the clan picks up right where it left off, swooping in to foil the buck-toothed Underminer (Pixar staple John Ratzenberger) as he schemes to rampage all over the city. The Incredibles do stop his drill machine, though the wanton destruction reminds everyone that, yes, powerful “Supers” are still illegal.

Telecommunications magnate Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk), with the help of his tech guru sister (Catherine Keener), wants to turn public support to the side of heroes. They recruit Bob, Helen and oh-so-cool Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) to show it isn’t easy saving the day from common criminals and annoying evildoers, and Helen gets chosen as the face of this new initiative — which chafes Mr. Incredible’s considerably large ego.

Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter) becomes the face of an initiative to make superheroes legal again in "Incredibles 2."(Photo: PIXAR)

Leaning into a retro-meets-futuristic vibe, there’s a very strong progressive streak throughout Incredibles 2, including flipping the gender dynamic on Bob and Helen’s roles from the first film. Loving life not having to hide her stretchy abilities, Elastigirl goes off on missions like stopping a runaway hovertrain and discovers the presence of a new supervillain threat, the mysterious masked hacker Screenslaver. Meanwhile, Bob becomes a stay-at-home dad and figures out that super-strength doesn’t help in juggling Violet’s dating struggles, Dash’s math homework and Jack-Jack’s multiple nascent powers (from laser eyes to turning into a very cute demon beast).

Every scene involving Jack-Jack is a complete joy, and Bird brilliantly captures the completely exhausting experience of dealing with a newborn — every parent can relate to Mr. Incredible falling asleep standing up or Jack-Jack smacking his dad when Bob dozes off while reading a bedtime book.

The Parr family is back in action in "Incredibles 2," the sequel to Pixar's 2004 animated hit.(Photo: PIXAR)

Bob and Helen’s parallel stories each do their part for the overall narrative, but Incredibles 2 loses a little specialness when they’re separated; it hums the most when they’re together as bantering, loving partners.

Although it’s hard to imagine a time when superhero movies didn’t rule Hollywood, The Incredibles set the bar high before the Avengers ever teamed up. The sequel offers a lot of neat callbacks and payoffs but suffers from the same problem as much of its live-action ilk: New, colorful heroes join the fray, mostly just to move the plot along rather than offer fun character development. One returning supporting player who makes the most of her screen time: Edna Mode (Bird), eccentric fashion guru to the Super stars and quite the emergency babysitter.

Pixar doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to sequels, but this follow-up surpasses most everything without Toy Story in the title. The animation is stellar and detailed in excellent action sequences, Michael Giacchino’s score swings harder than ever, and the first film’s family-friendly warmth is just as appealing now as it was then, even if Incredibles 2 isn’t totally incredible itself.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

America’s favorite superhero family is returning to the big screen 14 years after the debut of “Incredibles.” Who’s returning, who isn’t and who’s joining the “Incredibles” lineup for the first time? Pixar Animation Studios

Craig T. Nelson (Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible) is best known for his starring roles in the Emmy Award-winning show “Coach” and 1982 horror classic “Poltergeist.” More recently, he was a series regular on “Parenthood” and appeared in the film “Book Club” this year with Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda. Jimmy Morrison, EPA

Holly Hunter (Helen Parr/Elastigirl) won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her role in “The Piano.” She’s also well known for Oscar-nominated performances in “Broadcast News” (1987), “The Firm” (1993) and “Thirteen” (2004). Hunter recently played Emily’s mother (opposite Ray Romano as her father) in “The Big Sick.” Jean Baptiste Lacroix, WireImage

Sarah Vowell (Violet Parr) is best known off the big screen as a nonfiction writer and contributor to Ira Glass’ “This American Life” radio broadcast. Huck Milner replaces Spencer Fox — who originated the role but is now 25 — as the Parrs' speedy middle child, Dash. This is Milner’s first film. Jesse Grant, Getty Images for Disney

Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as Lucius Best/Frozone, Mr. Incredible’s crime-fighting partner who starred in the original film’s most famous scene: “Honey, where’s my super suit?” The acclaimed actor has been in film classics like “Goodfellas” (1990), “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Snakes on a Plane” (2006). Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images for Disney

Brad Bird, returning as the film’s director and writer, is also reprising his role as the infamous designer-to-the-heroes, Edna Mode. Bird also directed “Ratatouille” and Warner Bros.’ “The Iron Giant” and spent nine years as an executive consultant for “The Simpsons.” Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

John Ratzenberger is known for his Emmy-nominated performance as Cliff Clavin in “Cheers” and long list of Pixar voice roles including Hamm in “Toy Story,” Mack in “Cars” and the Yeti in “Monsters, Inc.” He returns as the villain Underminer, who appeared only in the last few minutes of “Incredibles.” Jimmy Morrison, EPA

You may recognize Sophia Bush from her TV roles as cheerleader Brooke Davis from “One Tree Hill” or Detective Erin Lindsay in “Chicago P.D.” Offscreen, Davis is an activist with multiple charities and organizations and frequents social media to share causes. Bush is a newcomer to the “Incredibles” franchise, playing Voyd: an overeager young superhero obsessed with Elastigirl. Jean Baptiste Lacroix, WireImage

Catherine Keener also joins the cast as Evelyn Deavor, who helps run a big-time telecommunications company with her brother, Winston (Bob Odenkirk). She’s best known for her roles in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005), “Being John Malkovich” (1999) and, recently, “Get Out” (2017). Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Bob Odenkirk, another new face in the “Incredibles” franchise, plays Winston Deavor, the brother to Keener’s Evelyn and the leader of a worldwide telecommunications company. Odenkirk spent nine years as Saul Goodman in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” and recently played Ben Bagdikian in Steven Spielberg’s “The Post.” Jean Baptiste Lacroix, WireImage

Italian actress Isabella Rossellini is a former Lancome model and starred in “Blue Velvet” (1986) and “Death Becomes Her” (1992). She joins the “Incredibles” cast as the Ambassador, who is working to bring superheroes back into mainstream society. John Lamparski, WireImage